Deck Choice, Carbon vs Bamboo Flex-Eboard

Bamboo Deck

Our Bamboo Flex-Eboard is made from 7 layers of laminated bamboo. Bamboo is lightweight, very strong but also flexible. The bamboo deck offers a comfortable ride and soaks up bumps nicely without too much riding discomfort. Bamboo is more regularly used over maple as it is fast growing and much more sustainable than maple.

Carbon Composite Deck

The Carbon Flex-Eboard Deck is made from a single layer of carbon fibre fused to 7 plys of premium Canadian maple. 7 ply’s offer a good amount of flexibility for riders from 65kg to 120kg but fewer or more layers can be used for more flexible or stiffer decks. We will be exploring these options in the near future.

The Sciency Bit

Carbon fibre is very strong under tension, so it allows flex but adds a great amount of strength to a deck when used in conjunction with layers of maple.  A full carbon fibre deck cannot flex at all because as soon as you add a camber or concave the structure becomes rigid and can only snap, not flex. This is why you will never find a full carbon fibre flexible deck. Without flexibility you lose a lot of the ride comfort and feel of the eboard.

Slick Revolution’s carbon decks have a layer of carbon fibre on their underside with cross strands running underneath this. The cross strands add a good deal of torsional strength across the thinner nose and tail sections of these designs.

Ever seen a picture of a carbon bicycle which has snapped? Carbon fibre cannot resist impact very well at all. Once set in epoxy resin it cannot be repaired. Its strength lies in its tensile strength, basically its change in shape under tension. The Slick Revolution carbon range adds a carbon layer to save weight and add a whole new dimension of awesomeness to our decks and eboards.

A bit about the manufacturing

Carbon arrives in sheet form and is similar in feel and flexibility to woven cloth, supple, lightweight and completely flexible. Epoxy Resin is drawn through the carbon fibre layer under the force of a vacuum and heated to set in its correct form and shape.
The Canadian maple layer is set under pressure in the usual way that a non-carbon fibre deck would be made. This layer is then glued under pressure to the Carbon layer. It is a common mistake to set the resin and Canadian maple together in 1 press. Epoxy essentially dries out and stiffens maple making it less flexible and more brittle – not good.

Which should you choose?

This decision really depends on 2 things.

1. Budget, if you can afford the Carbon Deck then go for it, you’ll own a piece of art and a true marvel of engineering. Want to save some cash? You will still have an awesome riding experience on the Bamboo deck.
2. Weight, slightly less flexible than the bamboo deck, we recommend the carbon for slightly heavier riders (90kg+) but of course you’ll still get great performance out of the bamboo deck if you are slightly heavier.

Check out our full range of eboards here

Check out the Flex-Eboard deck video here